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What's your favorite DVC resort to stay at?
- Thread starter DVC Mike
- Start date
What I like about my top 5 choices:
1) BLT
1) BLT
- Location! You can walk to the Magic Kingdom
- Views! Fantastic views of the MK and Bay Lake (and Wishes!)
- On the Monorail! Access to other deluxe resorts
- Dining! California Grill and access to great dining at GF/Poly
- Top of the World Lounge! I love the view of the world from on high
- Location! You can walk to Epcot and boat to DHS
- Views! Great views of Crescent Lake and YC/BC
- The Boardwalk Midway!
- Dining! At all the Epcot resorts and inside Epcot, including Flying Fish Cafe on the BW!
- Location! You can walk to Epcot and boat to DHS
- Stormalong Bay! The best feature pool at WDW
- Dining! At all the Epcot resorts and inside Epcot, including Yactsman Steakhouse and Beaches & Cream
- Sandy Beach on Crescent Lake with views of the Boardwalk
- Magnificently rendered theme!
- The Lodge! Peaceful and romantic
- Just a relaxing boat ride away from the MK
- The animals on the Savanna!
- Great exotic theme!
- A feeling of remoteness! relax away from the Parks
- Great dining! Jiko, Boma and Sanna
mousefan1972
Well-Known Member
Awesome thread, Mike. I enjoyed reading your favorite things about the different resorts. Since we're new members, I can't answer the question yet, though. We've stayed at AKV-Jambo and BCV with our friends' points, and will be staying at BWV, OKW and BLT for upcoming trips. Can't wait to try all the DVC resorts out!!
dizzney
Member
We've stayed BWV (home resort); BLT (home resort); BCV; SSR; OKW; Vero and HH,
Our ranking would be:
1. BWV - just love it here, location and laid back
2. BLT - love the location and modern accomodations
3. BCV - location and pool
4. OKW - beautiful grounds, lots of space
5. HH - location and great acitivites
6. Vero - beach and quiet
7. SSR - didnt care for setup - more like a motel to us, but the location and grounds were great.
Our faves are clearly BWV and BLT and since they are our home resorts, we think we made the right decisions when we purchased them.
Our ranking would be:
1. BWV - just love it here, location and laid back
2. BLT - love the location and modern accomodations
3. BCV - location and pool
4. OKW - beautiful grounds, lots of space
5. HH - location and great acitivites
6. Vero - beach and quiet
7. SSR - didnt care for setup - more like a motel to us, but the location and grounds were great.
Our faves are clearly BWV and BLT and since they are our home resorts, we think we made the right decisions when we purchased them.
mrerk
Premium Member
I really like them all for different reasons, so I will try some pros and cons.
1) OKW
Pros: Biggest rooms, lowest points, parking right ouside your room
Cons: Starting to look a little old. I don't mean worn, maybe dated is a better word. Upcoming refurb not a moment too soon.
2) VWL
Pros: Theme, Boat ride to MK, Iron Spike Room
Cons: Parking is a little remote
3) BCV
Pros: Proximity to Epcot, boat or walk to studios, Stormalong Bay
Cons: Not much of a view
4) BWV
Pros: Proximity to Epcot & Studios, Boardwalk activities
Cons: endless hallways, Boardwalk view rooms can be noisy, especially late at night, parking situation (could never get a space in the main lot until after Epcot closed, though I have heard this may have changed)
SSR: staying there for the 1st time in a couple weeks
BLT: I think I will like it, if I can get over the sticker shock of the points requirement. Can't beat the location. Monorail access.
AKV: Have stayed at the Lodge, but not the Villas. Loved the savanna and the restaurants, didn't like the endless hallways or being able to see 192 from the resort.
VGC: will definately stay there when I get back out to the left coast
VB & HH: would like to stay there someday
Hawaii: The view they posted on the Disneyparks blog looks amazing.
1) OKW
Pros: Biggest rooms, lowest points, parking right ouside your room
Cons: Starting to look a little old. I don't mean worn, maybe dated is a better word. Upcoming refurb not a moment too soon.
2) VWL
Pros: Theme, Boat ride to MK, Iron Spike Room
Cons: Parking is a little remote
3) BCV
Pros: Proximity to Epcot, boat or walk to studios, Stormalong Bay
Cons: Not much of a view
4) BWV
Pros: Proximity to Epcot & Studios, Boardwalk activities
Cons: endless hallways, Boardwalk view rooms can be noisy, especially late at night, parking situation (could never get a space in the main lot until after Epcot closed, though I have heard this may have changed)
SSR: staying there for the 1st time in a couple weeks
BLT: I think I will like it, if I can get over the sticker shock of the points requirement. Can't beat the location. Monorail access.
AKV: Have stayed at the Lodge, but not the Villas. Loved the savanna and the restaurants, didn't like the endless hallways or being able to see 192 from the resort.
VGC: will definately stay there when I get back out to the left coast
VB & HH: would like to stay there someday
Hawaii: The view they posted on the Disneyparks blog looks amazing.
Mine, in order:
OKW. Our home resort. For some reason, probably because it is kinda removed from the parks, it feels more relaxing there. Also like the larger rooms, and the car right outside the door. Really feels like a home.
BWV. This gets the edge over VWL because of its proximity to Epcot's International Gateway. And I love the lobby. Not overly fond of the potential loooong hike through freezing cold hallways if our room is not near the elevator.
VWL. My first stay here was just last year, and I just fell in love with the theming of this resort. Having been born & raised in NYC, this is the closest I'll get to living in the woods.
SSR. I'm not fond of the "open hallways" in these buildings--although it does eliminate my "long hike thru freezing a/c" complaint, there's something about it that feels motel-ish. I do like very much the decor in the rooms of this resort.
BCV. I know that everyone loves this resort, but I just don't care for it that much, and cannot explain why. I don't swim, so Stormalong Bay is not an attraction for me, and although the walk to Epcot is even shorter from here, I much prefer BWV.
I haven't stayed in AKL, BLT, or any of the off-site DVC resorts yet. Almost stayed at AKL this trip, I had booked the end of April, but I had to reschedule, and AKL wasn't available in mid-May.
Good poll, I'm enjoying everyone's responses and rationales. :wave:
OKW. Our home resort. For some reason, probably because it is kinda removed from the parks, it feels more relaxing there. Also like the larger rooms, and the car right outside the door. Really feels like a home.
BWV. This gets the edge over VWL because of its proximity to Epcot's International Gateway. And I love the lobby. Not overly fond of the potential loooong hike through freezing cold hallways if our room is not near the elevator.
VWL. My first stay here was just last year, and I just fell in love with the theming of this resort. Having been born & raised in NYC, this is the closest I'll get to living in the woods.
SSR. I'm not fond of the "open hallways" in these buildings--although it does eliminate my "long hike thru freezing a/c" complaint, there's something about it that feels motel-ish. I do like very much the decor in the rooms of this resort.
BCV. I know that everyone loves this resort, but I just don't care for it that much, and cannot explain why. I don't swim, so Stormalong Bay is not an attraction for me, and although the walk to Epcot is even shorter from here, I much prefer BWV.
I haven't stayed in AKL, BLT, or any of the off-site DVC resorts yet. Almost stayed at AKL this trip, I had booked the end of April, but I had to reschedule, and AKL wasn't available in mid-May.
Good poll, I'm enjoying everyone's responses and rationales. :wave:
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
I'm not voting, since I haven't stayed in all of the DVCs yet (though we've at least visited all of the resorts that are DVC or have a piece of the resort dedicated to DVC villas). Based on where we have stayed...
Boardwalk Villas. Being walking/boating distance to two parks was an incredible perk, as was being close to 4 other resorts and the amenities they had available. Loved the pool, the theme...the one major negative was a lack of a big food court. Bakery's awesome, having access to the pizza window is nice, but both lines can get very busy, between people staying on site and people visiting.
Wilderness Lodge - went to MK many times when we stayed here, the boat ride was so nice. Bused over to FW a few times at night for movies and dinner. Liked the theme of the Lodge, the layout, the extra pool (while still having access to the main one). Both restaurants got our business. I'd be torn twixt these two.
Saratoga Springs - iroinically, my least favorite, as it is our home resort. Nothing wrong with it at all, I still like it quite a bit, and my wife prefers it over the others by far. I just prefer being a little closer to the action, I guess. But the rooms are lovely, the extra quiet pools are awesome, it's nice to be so close to DTD (though it WAS nicer when Adventurer's Club was still around). Big complaint, comparable to Boardwalk, is the counter service dining option. At least here there IS a counter option, but it's usually crowded, confusing, and not all that tasty. I always recommend staying at the Congress Park section and walking over to the Marketplace for meals if you're not eating in the park that day.
Boardwalk Villas. Being walking/boating distance to two parks was an incredible perk, as was being close to 4 other resorts and the amenities they had available. Loved the pool, the theme...the one major negative was a lack of a big food court. Bakery's awesome, having access to the pizza window is nice, but both lines can get very busy, between people staying on site and people visiting.
Wilderness Lodge - went to MK many times when we stayed here, the boat ride was so nice. Bused over to FW a few times at night for movies and dinner. Liked the theme of the Lodge, the layout, the extra pool (while still having access to the main one). Both restaurants got our business. I'd be torn twixt these two.
Saratoga Springs - iroinically, my least favorite, as it is our home resort. Nothing wrong with it at all, I still like it quite a bit, and my wife prefers it over the others by far. I just prefer being a little closer to the action, I guess. But the rooms are lovely, the extra quiet pools are awesome, it's nice to be so close to DTD (though it WAS nicer when Adventurer's Club was still around). Big complaint, comparable to Boardwalk, is the counter service dining option. At least here there IS a counter option, but it's usually crowded, confusing, and not all that tasty. I always recommend staying at the Congress Park section and walking over to the Marketplace for meals if you're not eating in the park that day.
BWV: Proximity to DHS and Epcot, pool area, night time entertainment, short walk to BCV, Swan/Dolphin.
BLT: Great views of MK, extra bathroom, fold out chair/bed, ability to walk to the monorail.
SSR: Has less of a true Disney feel than other resorts, but the resort grew on me the longer I stayed there.
AKL Kidani: The hallways are way too long to get to your room, rooms are dark, just not for me.
The great thing about DVC is each resort has something different to offer so what works for might not work for another. Neither is good / bad, right/wrong, just different.
BLT: Great views of MK, extra bathroom, fold out chair/bed, ability to walk to the monorail.
SSR: Has less of a true Disney feel than other resorts, but the resort grew on me the longer I stayed there.
AKL Kidani: The hallways are way too long to get to your room, rooms are dark, just not for me.
The great thing about DVC is each resort has something different to offer so what works for might not work for another. Neither is good / bad, right/wrong, just different.
DisneyPhD
Well-Known Member
As of this second, the favorite is BLT, but that might be because we just got home from there yesterday and had a great stay. I think we ended up with perhaps the best standard view studio room. It was on the fourth floor looking north. I could see the ferry boats emerging from the storage area on Bay lake in the morning and had a decent view of Wishes (including the castle and space mountain) each night. The kids loved the pool (ok so did I). The walk to MK was great as was taking the monorail back to Contemporary in the afternoon. I know a lot of people don't like the studio layout, but we really liked having the kitchenette and bathroom sink in it's own separate area. There was also plenty of storage space compared to the other DVC's we've stayed at.
Our other favorite is BCV. We love the pool and proximity to Epcot and Studios.
We've only stayed a few nights at BWV and never with the kids. Again good location, we just like the Beach Club better.
SSR is next on our list as long as we have a car (which most of the time we don't). We've always enjoyed our stays here.
AKL also would want a car next time. It's a long drive everywhere from here (except AK but we still ended up waiting for buses to get there).
VWL is our home resort but we've only stayed here once in 8 years. We're not crazy about the lodge theming (even though it's very done very well). Part of our feelings might be due to the room we had too. It was the dumpster view all the way at the end of the long hall.
OKW would have been better with a car. We also stayed here in August with torrential downpours every afternoon for several hours so I think that colored our opinion a bit as well.
VB is a great option to have for a non-WDW vacation.
Haven't stayed at HH or VGC ... yet
Our other favorite is BCV. We love the pool and proximity to Epcot and Studios.
We've only stayed a few nights at BWV and never with the kids. Again good location, we just like the Beach Club better.
SSR is next on our list as long as we have a car (which most of the time we don't). We've always enjoyed our stays here.
AKL also would want a car next time. It's a long drive everywhere from here (except AK but we still ended up waiting for buses to get there).
VWL is our home resort but we've only stayed here once in 8 years. We're not crazy about the lodge theming (even though it's very done very well). Part of our feelings might be due to the room we had too. It was the dumpster view all the way at the end of the long hall.
OKW would have been better with a car. We also stayed here in August with torrential downpours every afternoon for several hours so I think that colored our opinion a bit as well.
VB is a great option to have for a non-WDW vacation.
Haven't stayed at HH or VGC ... yet
Pippa
Well-Known Member
I voted for AKV as I have only stayed there so far having only gotten DVC in 2007.
Eventually I'm going to stay at all of them!
For me though AKV (I've stayed at Jambo & Kidani) is wonderful, I like that it's on the edge of the property and has a lovely restful atmosphere. Love the restaurants, but have yet to try Sanaa. Its also very romantic, unfortunately I'm going solo this year. Unless George Clooney is available.......
Eventually I'm going to stay at all of them!
For me though AKV (I've stayed at Jambo & Kidani) is wonderful, I like that it's on the edge of the property and has a lovely restful atmosphere. Love the restaurants, but have yet to try Sanaa. Its also very romantic, unfortunately I'm going solo this year. Unless George Clooney is available.......
Monorail Lime
Well-Known Member
We're staying at Saratoga Springs during the December adventure season this year because it was the only resort available at the 7 month window. Seems like it is the least popular resort... should I be worried?
dizzney
Member
I think you will have a great time regardless, SSR is a nice resort, my opinion was colored due to the fact that we stayed there during a hurricane, but the resort is a nice one and you will enjoy....
WDWSteamDreamer
New Member
Maybe the reason it was available is because it has one of the largest numbers of rooms per resort. I mean the place covers a lot or real estate. And speaking of SSR, are we including Treehouse Villas with them or separate? They are so completely different but share the same front desk.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
No, there's not a thing wrong with Saratoga, and it does have itself some perks most of the DVCs don't have, like all the quiet pools (and another "main pool" in the works). As I wrote before, the main "negatives," which really aren't that bad at all, are that the theming is a little more muted than at many of the other resorts, and the food court can get a bit hectic (but unlike Boardwalk Villas, it at least has a proper food court, with one specialty entree for dinner on top of the other food court staples that are also available for lunch).
WDWSteamdreamer is right, Saratoga is huge, as is OKW. This is as much of a reason why there always seems to be rooms at these inns as the muted themes or the more secluded locations. AKV and BLT are also pretty big, but the rooms are all stacked together. The other DVC Villas have considerably fewer units. Their locations are a big plus, but the fewer units means fewer chances to stay there, especially during peak times.
My suggestion would be to request to stay in the Congress Park section. You'll only be a few minutes away from the main pool, you'll only be a few seconds from a quiet pool, and less than a 10 minute walk away from the Marketplace section of Downtown Disney, giving you more options for meals (try the breakfast pita or the Cornflake French Toast at the Wolfgang Puck Marketplace. Either one is bliss).
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
Anywhere except Saratoga borefest.
scrapcomber
New Member
I have only stayed at Animal Kingdom villas (our home) and the BWV. BWV were good but you can't beat waking up to the zebras racing each other across the grass or giraffes sleeping right outside your window